Fathom of Evolution, Endeavor of the Strongest
by mmmpancakes
Summary: Taking place after Nathan’s “sacrifice” to elevate Peter into the heavens before the explosion occurred, several heroes’ fates remained in question. Sylar, presumed dead, has been revived his captors have planned out his recovery in order to serve a purpo
1. Synopsis

**Quick note: **I hope you read the preface before coming here. But it is not necessary. It just gives you a better idea of what to expect and more info.

**Part 0: Synopsis**

**Synopsis: **

Taking place after Nathan's "sacrifice" to elevate Peter into the heavens before the explosion occurred, several heroes' fates remained in question. Sylar, presumed dead, has been revived; his captors have planned out his recovery in order to serve a purpose that must be completed. Sylar long wanted to be significant, to be recognized, to be special. This longing desire continued through death. The evolutionary imperative has been responsible for gruesome murders. Redemption is unlikely, and Sylar does not seek it and his goals have not changed; however, Sylar is bestowed with a purpose that may make him the significant person he always wanted to be. Killing comes with ease, but will it be so easy when Sylar finds out that a force more evil than he abducts "heroes" in order to breed the perfect and most powerful species? Evolution can he hard to fathom after all, especially if you are the strongest…


	2. Lord of the Brains, Return of the Killer

**Part I: Lord of the Brains: Return of the Killer.**

Above, the sound of sirens, footsteps, and the feedback of a megaphone were heard. The process of recovery was rather quiet in contrast to the incredible event that happened not too long ago. However, the surface in which the sun touched was not the only thing recovering. Below, in the filthy sewers of New York, someone too was recovering from his fair share of scars from the explosion.

The surroundings were cool and damp. The aroma was of a sickly stench and its odor penetrated through your lungs. Despite the unattractive smell, the sound of water flow was soothing. In a large corner, Sylar awakened to both of these features. Bandages were wrapped around his abdomen while his trenchcoat-hoodie lay in front of him on a rack. A thick towel lay under him. Someone had come to his aid, but he could not imagine who. He had lost everyone who had meant something to him; everyone else was prey. If someone helped him, then he was not alone down here. He reasoned that the person who had saved him probably had no idea what he was. Sylar sought to take advantage of this in order to overpower his savior as soon as possible. He needed help from no one. Sylar got up slowly and as he did, his bandages started to turn red. He made a small whimper after he sat himself up into a crunch. The moment was ruined when a voice was heard from the darkness.

"So, you're awake now?" said a young voice. The voice echoed everywhere in the sewers.

Sylar did a quick glance toward the direction of the sound- he could still control his enhanced hearing.

"Show yourself…" uttered Sylar with a tone of hostility. He figured he was saved by a child, how degrading that would be.

"Well, I'm glad you're alright now," said the young voice.

"Well, that's good because it'll be the last time you'll be glad again." mocked Sylar in his signature low-tone voice.

Sylar stuck out his hand in front of him and motioned it backwards. Nothing happened. Shortly after, Sylar gave his "wtf-look" and just stared at his hand.

"…How did you…" said Sylar in disbelief.

The young girl slowly shook her head in disapproval.  
"I was hoping it wouldn't start this way," said the young girl as she looked into his startled expression. "Anyhow, you won't be able to use most of your powers with my friend here."

From the darkness, the Haitian stepped out.

"I remember you…" said Sylar in disgust.

"Well you shouldn't," said the young girl. "You should have no memories of this man or any memories of why you ended up being down here."

"Too bad, I do; a power I took allows me to remember _everything_," snickered Sylar.

"Well, that'll spare me from explaining things to you," said the young girl, "but as long as you are powerless and in our custody, we have control over you and you will do as we say."

"I don't do anything for anyone, I live for myself and myself only," stated Sylar with authority.

"And you wonder why your mother died…" the young girl said tragically.

"…How did you know about that?"

"Trust me. We know a lot about you and everything, which is why we need your help. We don't want to hurt you; we just need your help. We-" she was cut off.

"You're a fool. If you know so much about me, you'd know to stay away from me- as far as you could and-" he too was cut off. His vision became blurry as he looked down to see a tiny blood trail flow out of his bandages and soak into the towel beneath him. Sylar looked back up slowly with a look of surprise and then collapsed on his bloody towel.

"… You opened up your wound and didn't even know it," said the young girl. She gave a sigh and motioned the Haitian to come tend to Sylar's body. The sound of the sewers was soothing as the girl and the Haitian mended his reopened wound. Sylar soon awoke to the same serene sound of water flow the next day


	3. A New Light, a New Purpose

**Part II: A new light, a new purpose.**

Sylar lifted his head slightly off the ground and saw that she had replaced his bloody bandages with new ones and that he was laying underneath a clean towel. He just laid there with no desire to get himself up again. Sylar was a little humiliated for "losing" to a little girl. Plus he didn't want to go unconscious by opening his wound again. When you're around strangers, it just feels more safe being conscious.

"So, how am I alive anyways?" asked Sylar, staring expressionless at the ceiling. No answer. "I can hear your heartbeat, I know you're there."

The young girl stepped from the shadows once again.

"Well since you claim to remember everything, you know you suffered a mortal sword wound; in other words you died," the young girl explained.

Sylar continued to stare at the ceiling without uttering a word. The young girl continued.

"You've probably been wondering if I had a power- you sure like those don't you?"

Again, no word from Sylar.

"Well I'll tell you right now, I can bring back people from the dead. A power like this certainly wouldn't do you any good. Plus I can't use it out of the blue or at any time. I need a strong connection or a strong reason in order to use it."

"Sounds like an excuse for being too weak to control your powers," said Sylar.

"It very well could mean that, but just be thankful I was able to revive _you_," replied the young girl.

Another awkward pause.

"…I hate you," said Sylar and went back to emotionless staring.

"Why? Because I saved you?" replied the young girl. No response. "…I understand," she said and walked towards Sylar and sat down next to him. "If you want to know, you are significant- you are important and that's why we need you."

Deep down Sylar was happy to hear someone tell him that, but he hid it well from his savior. He didn't give a hint on how he had already dropped his guard; she had nothing to worry about. He was quite relaxed at the moment.

"By the way, my name is Sparrow, Sparrow Redhouse, but just call me Sparrow," said the young girl in her attempt to break the ice.

"My name- just call me Sylar," said Sylar, accidentally indicating the acceptance of her hospitality.

"Don't worry, I know your name. You don't have to tell me. But it is a nice name, not everyone is named after an angel, ya' know?" said Sparrow with a change of tone. No response. "Sorry, but yes, I'll call you Sylar as everyone knows you as." Yet another awkward moment of silence followed.

"Heehee, well the scary part is over now. You passed; I can trust you now," said Sparrow cheerily.

"…What are you talking about?" asked Sylar.

"Well you see, I asked the Haitian to go out and get the groceries, meaning he was gone and you could have gotten up and used your powers to kill me," answered Sparrow with a smile.

"Oh…" said Sylar, his thoughts now all mixed up.

"No sorry, I didn't mean to trick you like that. It was just a way to determine what you were thinking; we don't have a mind-reader with us. But this proves that powers and brains aren't the only things you think about all the time- and I'm glad to know that."

"Smart…" said Sylar, "You don't see too many of those these days."

"Why thank you…Well ok let's eat up, I'm sure you're hungry. I think that wound will be ok now; you seem to heal pretty fast and it's been over a day already." The crackling noise of oil and food could be heard from the wok the Haitian was cooking in. "Just wait a few minutes, the Haitian whips up some great stuff using stir-fry."

"Is it better than brains?" said Sylar.

"Huh? What?" asked Sparrow doing a double take.

"Huh, what? I didn't say anything. Crazy kids…" said Sylar.

After a couple of minutes, the food was done.

"Kay, it's all ready now," said Sparrow.

As they ate, Sylar couldn't help but ask questions. He was curious about the fate these two had planned for him. At least it eliminated the constant silences.

"Alright… What is it that you need me for? I can't possibly imagine someone taking the trouble to subdue me and not kill me," inquired Sylar as he set his plate down on the floor next to him.

"We need you because you are powerful, and smart. You also have a good record of getting things done. Plus, Peter Petrelli is unavailable at the moment," said Sparrow.

"Peter Petrelli is not dead? Interesting… I'll take care of that later on…" said Sylar in a low voice.

"What was that?" asked Sparrow.

"Er… nothing, continue. Tell me what needs to be done."

"Well, to make it plain and simple, we need you to stop someone who is putting the whole world in danger."

"How cliché is that? …So you want me to save the world?"

"Exactly; you'll be doing something good- hopefully you don't mind."

"No not at all…but what's in it for me?"

"Your life and liberty."

Sylar gave a look of discomfort. "…You can't be serious?"

"I'm sorry, but it's true, I mean you should have been dead after all."

"So if I don't accept you'll kill me? You really think you can do that now?" said Sylar with his voice rising.

"You won't be able to defend yourself effectively if the Haitian negates your powers… but I don't want to consider this option. Please, just do it. I can't allow you to live if you were brought back to life only to claim more innocent lives."

"And how can I trust you that you'll actually let me go? For all I know, you could just use me and kill me afterwards anyways."

"That's why…" Sparrow paused.

"…That's why what?" asked Sylar.

"I can tell you after you accept. But I told you, I don't want to hurt you and I meant it."

"…"

"So do you accept?"

"… I guess I have no choice after all."

Sparrow gave a small frown. "Don't worry, it isn't really that bad. I mean if you do succeed, it'll be like making up for the murders you did."

"I never said I sought redemption."

"And I never said you did, I'm just saying."

"Well ok, whatever, you still haven't told me what I had to do or what I'm up against."

"Ok, this might be hard to swallow, but I'm sure you'll get it," Sparrow gave a deep sigh, "ok, we need you to take down an evil geneticist who has plans that could endanger our very way of life. Get this, he's actually abducting people with powers like us and breeding them, trying to create and harness the most powerful beings and using them to meet his demands."

"…so what you're saying is he's pretty much using them as lab rats?"

"…Exactly; it's even worse than what you were doing."

"I see…" Sylar gave a brief pause. _This is oddly similar…Another pursuer of evolution?_

"Hmm?" asked Sparrow.

"No, nothings wrong."

"Obviously something is wrong, I didn't even ask you if there was something wrong… So what's wrong?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Hmmph. Ok, then. We'll have to prepare everything tonight. Your destination is in the Bermuda Triangle; that's where he's located. We'll need to get moving soon."

"Hmm an interesting place. Now, how am I going to get there?"

"Luckily, we have something from the company that w-"

"You worked for someone?" asked Sylar.

"Well I did. We had the same goals, but they wanted to use you and then 'study' you afterwards."

"And what's wrong with that?" asked Sylar, "seems perfectly logical to me. I see no reason why you'd go out of your way to save me."

"…that's no different than what he's doing to the abducted people."

"Whatever you say," said Sylar with a hint of sarcasm. "Well so how am I going to get there?"

"As I was saying before, we've stolen unreleased technology from the company. It's a personal submarine that even the U.S. military can't compete with; it was built with the assistance of someone who can manipulate technology. Using these sewers, you'll be able to come out of the Hudson River which will lead you to the ocean. From there, you'll be able to safely arrive at your destination."

"How convenient… Ok. Good. I can go anytime," said Sylar.

"Well we needed it to escape the company. Anyhow you're not going alone; I'm sending the Haitian with you."

"Why? You don't trust me?" asked Sylar, lifting an eyebrow.

"You can't drive one of these, not a lot of people know how," answered Sparrow.

"I can see how things work…" responded Sylar with his low-undertone.

"Oh… that's true, but we want you to stay rested anyway, it won't be easy."

_That's not a good reason_, thought Sylar. "…Ok, since I don't want to waste time arguing with you anymore, I'll just follow."

"Cool! Oh and take this."

Sparrow handed Sylar a very old cell phone.

"…This is probably the ugliest cell phone I've ever seen," commented Sylar.

"Well it'll get the job done; we only need it so I can talk to you throughout your task. If you have questions during the job, feel free to call me and ask. My number's already saved in there."

"Hmmm… ok," said Sylar has he tucked the phone into his pocket.

Shortly after, the Haitian came in from a dark tunnel and gave Sparrow a nod.

"Ok, it's ready. You can leave. Grab your coat and follow him."

Sylar made a hand gesture towards the direction of his trench-coat still on the rack. Nothing happened.

Sylar gave a sigh.

Sparrow gave the Haitian a nod, indicating that it was safe to allow Sylar to use his telekinesis. A moment later, Sylar motioned his arm forward and pulled it back towards him and his coat flew into his hand.

"See you," said Sylar as he walked towards the Haitian. The two men disappeared into the darkness. As their footsteps began to fade in the distance, Sparrow caught sight of a cockroach and stepped on it.

"There's no need for creatures like you…" whispered Sparrow.


	4. Because Evil People have to Have Their

**Part III: Because evil people have to have their own islands**

They sped away through the murky waters of the sewers. It was a comfortable ride with a quiet whirring noise that relaxed the mind. And soon enough, they exited into the Hudson River, surrounded by the urban lights of the city. Various pollutants and trash scaled the waters of the Hudson River; it truly was a filthy river. Eventually, they emptied out into the Atlantic. The Haitian continued to drive the submarine smoothly without a change of mental state. It was quiet and awkward with the silent humming of the engine.

Sylar knew that this man along with Eden were the ones responsible for his capture back in Texas. The man had an interesting power that enabled him to negate the powers of others and as an added bonus, allowed him to erase memories. A very frightening power, but fortunately, as fate had it, Sylar had acquired eidetic memory from a particular redheaded waitress from the same area. _Fate… and not just because you're Indian. _Fond memories of Suresh. Was it a fine time for personal reflection? There had not been time to process all the events that had happened in such a short time span. Sylar took a deep breath, and closed his eyes with thoughts and questions racing through his mind.

It was certain that those thoughts were not happy ones. The Haitian gave a slight glance towards Sylar, noticing his constant fidgeting which indication of discomfort. But in a brief moment, Sylar remained still with his arms crossed towards his chest and his face remained expressionless- he was asleep. The Haitian was tempted to peek into his memories, but he soon refrained; he did not want to feel any sympathy for this man. Ultimately, what went on in Gabriel Gray's mind at that moment would remain a mystery to the world, but one could guess that it involved his human side, a side Sylar did not plan to show anytime soon, but as fate would have it, it'd show itself sooner than expected…

He awoke with the Haitian tapping on his shoulder. Sylar looked through the translucent wall of the submarine. It was day out. They had arrived and docked in shallow water. The Haitian pressed a button and the roof of the submarine opened. He then gave Sylar a nod. Sylar stepped out and used his telekinesis to hover himself over the water and onto the sandy beaches of the island. He looked back and returned the nod to the Haitian. Soon, the vehicle backed away into the waters and disappeared swiftly. Sylar pulled out the old cell phone and gave Sparrow a call.

"Alright, I'm here," said Sylar.

"That's good news. You made it safely," answered Sparrow.

"The ride was pretty uneventful though, I've shared a couple of unfortunate events with your friend there. The ride was silent and awkward, but I didn't plan on talking to him anyways."

"Well, that's him. He had a very dysfunctional childhood."

"Anyhow, why was I chosen for this again?"

"What?" asked Sparrow.

"I said, why was I chosen for this?" repeated Sylar.

"…Because… uh…"

"You mean you don't remember you saying 'We need you because you are powerful, and smart. You also have a good record of getting things done'? And then you mentioned that lousy, unworthy weakling, Peter Petrelli?"

"Well I don't have super memory like you do- and what's the point of asking me this?"

"I just wanted to test you, to see what you were thinking- Apparently, those aren't the only reasons you picked me for the job now is it?"

"…Are you trying to spite me?"

"No sorry, I didn't mean to trick you. It was just a way to determine what you were thinking," said Sylar. _She's hiding the real reasons behind walls of false praise._

"Very funny… not; I told you I was sorry," said Sparrow, "Anyways you're here now, be careful. You could be in danger at anytime. The island is full of traps."

"And you know this because…?"

"…Because I do… You know, you sure make things harder than they need to be."

"You're one to talk… anyways where do I go from here? That large tower beyond the trees?"

"Yup, that's exactly where. The path may seem straight forward but I'm warning you again, it's not so easy; be careful. He probably knows you're here."

"Alright, I will. I'll call you again if anything new happens."

"Sounds great, take care," said Sparrow.

Sylar hung up and put the phone back into his pocket. He glanced up towards the looming facility beyond the tropical forest and headed towards its direction, leaving the sandy beaches and clear waters of the island behind.

The wilds of the island were lush with vegetation. It started getting harder to traverse. Branches and vines littered the ground while the trees provided further obstruction. He took one final step and stopped. It was unfitting for someone as special as him to make such an effort in trying to navigate through the wilderness. He held one hand in a tight fist and opened it up to reveal a bright light and a loud "boom". He gave a little smirk in satisfaction and closed his hand into a tight fist again. Taking slow, small steps, he walked on through. The grass, the trees, and tangled growth wilted all around him. A trail of gray and withered shrubbery was all that remained in the wake of his path.

Before long, Sylar stumbled onto something peculiar. His suspicion grew as he scoped the perfectly circular open field that lay before him. The building was just up ahead. As he continued his advancement into the field and towards the towering construct, something arose out of the ground very quietly. Its light turned from red to green and two tranquilizer darts shot out of its turret. Sylar had heard it and with a lightning fast reflex, turned around to face the machine. He stopped the darts with his mind. Using his hand as a guide, he flipped the darts and sent them back at the machine. Of course nothing happened; the darts just bounced off the hard exterior. Sylar gave a sheepish grin at his own stupidity. Out of the ground, more turrets rose and shot a hail of darts at him. Sylar, with both arms outstretched in opposite directions, halted the impeding projectiles. The darts, all one thousand of them, were telekinetically held in place, forming a sphere that surrounded him. Within a brief moment, they all fell to the ground at the same time. As Sylar smirked at the unsuccessful attempt of the defense system, a metal wire wrapped around his leg. Before he could get it off, it tasered him with a large amount of voltage. He quickly fell to the ground.

As he lay there, he saw a foot come into his fading vision. Someone was there in front of him.

"I've been waiting a long time for this…" said the eerie voice.

Those were the last words Sylar heard as he slowly blacked out.


	5. Oh No, You Took My

**Part IV: Oh no you took my sperm and made me fight? Prepare to die!**

_Bzzzzt. Bzzzzt. _Sylar awoke from the vibration of the phone in his pocket. It was Sparrow.

"Ugh… hello?" said Sylar, as he slowly got to his feet.

"Sylar, are you ok?" asked the voice with a hint of concern.

"Yeah… I'm fine, not the first time someone managed to knock me out." _But I very much prefer drugged chai thank you very much._

Sylar looked at his surroundings. It was a dimly lit circular enclosed space with what appeared to be extremely thick rock walls- a fine mix of natural and technological appearance. Ahead, Sylar could see a wide metal door.

"I'm trapped somewhere. There's a door up ahead. I guess that's my only option now."

"Do you remember anything before you went unconscious?"

"Yes, someone was there. Of course he didn't kill me since I'm here now. But he had said he'd been waiting a long time for this."

"Oh... no…" said Sparrow. Her voice contained fear.

"What's wrong?" asked Sylar, a little unease in his voice. Just then, a large screen slowly descended from a gap in the ceiling. "Hold on I'll talk to you after…"

"NO wait! Don't-," said Sparrow, but Sylar had hung up and cut her off.

Now standing fully erect, Sylar looked at the screen. Soon, it turned on and a middle aged man with glasses and unkempt hair appeared.

"Welcome, Mr. Gray. You're probably wondering where you are." It was the same voice that had spoken to Sylar before he had blacked out.

"I can assure you, you're still on this deserted island. Except, you're quite far underground I'm afraid. You're in my own… _personal_ training grounds for my specimens; or at least a section of it."

"My name is Sylar! You're foolish if you think walls can detain me."

"Hahahahaha! Mr. Gray, you amuse me. I see your lips moving, but I'm afraid I cannot hear you. There are no devices implemented in your level designed to transmit sound back to me. I'm afraid all you can do is listen."

Sylar gave the man an angry scowl and continued to heed whatever the maniac had to say.

"I'm sure you know that there is a reason why you're still alive right now. You were unconscious; I could have killed you like a defenseless pup. But to me, you serve a far greater purpose in helping me control the world rather than trying to stop me, whom my daughter, Sparrow had needed your help for oh so earnestly. Hahaha…" said the evil doctor.

"!". _She has some explaining to do…_Sylar gave a shocked expression upon those last sentences.

"Hahahaha, you provide endless entertainment Mr. Gray. Your expressions, your frustration, your anger, it all amuses me so! I guess she did not tell you after all. But aah, yes, I had forgotten to introduce myself. I am Hohenheim, the father of your savior, Mr. Gray."

Sylar bit his lip with fists clenched and continued to scowl at the figure on the screen.

"I'll keep it short. I hate to waste time. I want to see you again as soon as possible. If you look ahead, you'll notice a metal door. It's an elevator that leads to the next floor. There are four floors including this one before you see me. You will engage one of my specimens on each floor. Obviously, if you want to advance, you will have to kill them. I'm also warning you right now, I'm aware of what you can do. Don't even think about it. I've implanted a bomb in each of my specimens. When their lungs no longer breathe, they'll trigger the internal bomb and thus disintegrate their body. I'd stay away from them if I were you heheheh…As an added bonus, your combat progress will be recorded by me. As you fight, your tactics, your choices, your every move- seen or heard, will all serve as a template for my training simulation program for my specimens. It all goes into creating the perfect fighting machine."

Sylar was amazed and horrified at the same time by the doctor's incredible ingenuity. He must be stopped; he cannot allow this man to use him like this.

"Oh, one last note Mr. Gray. You may want to hurry. I forgot to tell you; while you were unconscious I had delightfully taken a sample of your sperm. Aaah yes, I wonder what kind of ability I will get when I combine your DNA with the DNA of another."

There were no words to describe the fury and hatred that ran through Sylar's mind. This man had not only violated him, but had taken something that belonged to him and him only. And now, it was being used to service the evil doctor's deeds.

"Why you..." mumbled Sylar.

"Aah yes, he's growing quite fast. Hurry Mr. Gray! Show me what it means by _Survival of the Fittest_!" Evil laughter echoed the room as the large screen pulled back into the gap in the ceiling.

Sylar took out the phone and called Sparrow.

"…" Sparrow picked up, but she did not utter a word.

"…You have some explaining to do. You have a lot of things to tell me you little whore."

"…I'm sorry…" said Sparrow. She accepted the derogatory term Sylar gave her. "I didn't expect you to be captured." her voice was very shaky, it sounded like she was crying.

"It was already a surprise that this man turned out to be your father…This is your problem, not mine. But do you know what he did? Do you know what he took from me? He took something that belonged to _me_! And now he is using it to develop my child that I will have to kill."

"…" Sparrow was sobbing now.

"Tell me... What were the real reasons why you chose me besides being too cowardly to kill your own father?"

"I…" Sparrow could not utter a comprehendible word under her sobbing.

"Tell me now! Or do I have to tell you myself? I want to hear it! shouted Sylar.

"I needed someone capable of killing with no remorse. I-I…I needed someone who'd be able to kill my father or their own child without hesitating, without sorrow or guilt. I also had to find a person who could easily be forgotten. A person whom I would not feel guilt if he or she had died during the mission. I also had to look for someone whom no one cared about. When I found out about you, I knew you were the perfect person for the job…but I was wrong…"

From this, Sylar knew that Sparrow had already considered the possibility of him being captured and having sample of his sex cells being taken from him. However, it didn't stop her from stopping him. Perhaps worst of all, Sparrow had classified him as someone whom no one cared about. She truly thought that he was expendable.

"…You were wrong from the very beginning if you thought I did not have a conscience. You lied when you said you knew about me. You have no idea how I felt when this hunger overtook me. You know nothing. Maybe I'm not the evil one here… _Good bye_…"

Upon those last words, Sylar hung up the phone and crushed it with his hand into pieces. He then threw it on the ground and walked on towards the large metal door.


	6. Challenges to the Death

**Part V: Challenges to the death.**

The elevator doors opened smoothly when he pressed the button. The elevator did not have solid walls, but rather they were mesh-like with holes so that light from the elevator shaft could shine through. He got in and pressed the up arrow. The doors closed and a lengthy ride to the upper level initiated. During the lengthy trip, Sylar was given another moment to reflect. He was not prepared for this. He never thought that he'd become a victim of this maniac. He thought Sparrow had been a snarky, yet innocent young girl who just happened to possess a lot of intelligence. Being deceived by a mere child had shattered his faith in humanity. There really wasn't anything that could bring him joy in life besides acquiring powers. Trying to satiate his hunger was the only thing he had to look forward to now.

He had come to this island with the mindset of doing something good. In exchange he was bestowed with the fate of witnessing the artificial development of his child that he had no desire to possess. He already knew that if he were to encounter this child, he'd have to kill him. Under Hohenheim's influence, the child would know nothing but murder; he would not understand what it means to love, care or feel alone. The child would never be raised by a proper father. This pained Sylar. No matter what, even if you do not love your child, it is always a part of you. The child and parent bond was extremely hard to sever. But what has to be done has to be done, and he was ready; ready to unleash his divine fury upon this cursed island.

The elevator finally stopped and the doors opened. Sylar stepped out onto the new floor. It was similar in shape to the last floor except there were many objects scattered all over. Daggers, swords, rifles, bunkers, barbed wires, forts; the scenario resembled that of a battlefield. Sylar saw someone up ahead. As he approached closer, he saw that it was a beautiful blonde girl wearing tight camouflage pants and a tank top.

"Hello, Mr. Sylar. My name is X-005; but the good doctor himself has named me Genevieve." said the beautiful blonde figure.

"I pity you that you're labeled as an experiment. You know you're going to die right?" said Sylar.

"Tee hee, we'll see about that. But I live to fight. I got nothing to lose, where as you do. I have nothing else to think about, no desire to do anything else." replied Genevieve.

"Heheh, save it. Right now, you and I are not so different. If the maniac wants a good fight, I'll show him what I can do." said Sylar.

"I see… Well then, let's begin. The doctor hasn't told me what you're capable of. Anyhow I'll see soon enough- you too shall see what I am capable of." She unfastened two grenades from her back pocket and pulled off the safety pins. "I wish you luck."

She threw the flash and smoke grenades towards Sylar's direction and they immediately exploded. A blinding flash along with smoke filled the arena. Sylar could not see. But his hearing was able to penetrate through the flash grenades' initial hearing-impairment effect. He focused. From a distance, he heard the cocking of a rifle. She was about to shoot him. Within a second, she pulled the trigger and a loud bang resonated from her rifle. To her surprise, she did not see Sylar fall to the ground. She aimed again and pulled the trigger. Again she did not see him fall to the ground. Something was amiss. She packed her rifle and retreated behind a concrete wall as the smoke slowly cleared.

Sylar stood there, with two bullets suspended between his eyes in mid air. _Aaah I see how that works now. She has enhanced vision that allows her to see heat differences. Quite a useful power._ The bullets fell gently to the concrete floor.

"Your owner could have at least told you that bullets would not work on me," shouted Sylar. "I've already figured out your power. While useful, it isn't anything too impressive. I'm more amazed by your natural talents, but those probably came from genetic engineering as well, not so natural after all."

Sylar looked around the battlefield. "I assure you, you won't be hidden long. I can find you _easily_," said Sylar. Suddenly he picked up a racing heart beat. _Aaah… so they can still be intimidated. This little trick always works._

Sylar walked closer and closer to the sound of the heartbeat. As he grew closer, the heartbeat became faster and faster. Sylar finally arrived at the concrete wall.

"Found you..." smirked Sylar.

He put his hand over the wall and instantly liquefied it.

"Aaaaaggh!" screamed the women in aggression as she rose from the melted wall with dagger in hand, aiming for Sylar's throat. Sylar caught her hand with his hand and grabbed her neck with the other.

"Nice try, but looks like it's the end for you…I told you I would show no mercy. For your bravery, I'll grant you a quick death. Good bye."

The woman's neck started to freeze. She screamed in pain, but she suddenly stopped as her windpipe was frozen. Within seconds, her whole body was frozen-over, lifeless. Sylar let go of her arm that held the dagger still. Holding her frozen corpse in his right hand, he motioned his free hand to the side and her body telekinetically slammed into the wall, shattering it into many pieces of frozen flesh. Seconds later, her abdomen blew up from the internal bomb placed inside her. Genevieve was reduced to nothing.

Sylar heard the door "ding" in the distance. He was allowed to advance to the next floor. He walked on towards the elevator and entered it. The elevator lights flashed on him through the mesh grating of the walls as he ascended up.

The elevator doors opened upon reaching the next floor. Again with the circular arena. This time however, there was a huge depression at the center. The place consisted of two levels. The perimeter of the room was raised, while the center consisted of lower ground that was in the shape of a triangle. At each point of the triangle was a hole in the wall. Pillars lined the sides of the triangle. At the center of the triangle stood a bulky sized figure- a man with a shaved head. His arms were crossed. Sylar stepped down to the lower floor that led to the base of the triangle in order to confront the man.

"So I see you've managed to kill my sister," said the voice.

"Yeah, but don't worry, she died cleanly. I can't say the same for you though," said Sylar.

"Heheheh. I have many more sisters that have yet to be awakened. One death does not matter," responded the voice with no hint of remorse.

"It is expected that an artificially created being, such as yourself, has exactly that kind of mindset. You're broken..." said Sylar coolly.

"None of that matters. I was created to fight. And that's all I care about. We'll see who's truly broken after I'm through with you."

The man brought out some sort of device and pressed the button. Sand flowed through the three holes near the points of the triangle. Sylar took several steps back to reach the higher ground. The triangle rapidly filled with sand.

"There is enough sand on this island to fill this entire room. With it, I shall tear you to shreds!"

Suddenly, all the sand from the floor rose and encircled the man like a tornado. Before long, the man was shrouded with sand that formed a neat sphere around him. Sand continued to be drawn into the center from the holes, swirling about him furiously. The sphere of sand surrounding the man grew larger as time went by.

_It looks like he is able to manipulate sand,_ thought Sylar.

"Here, sample my power!" shouted the man.

A stream of sand was shot in Sylar's direction at rapid speed. Sylar made a swift strafing step and pulled his arm back, deflecting the projectile with his mind. The jet of sand missed him and hit the wall of the circular room, denting it. After impact, the sand slowly suspended in air and returned back to the center of the room.

Sylar made a quick hand gesture with his fingers, but nothing happened. The man was shrouded in sand and could not be seen. The sand around him was moving too fast for Sylar to manipulate with telekinesis. Sylar knew that if he was not stopped soon, there'd be little area left for him to work with. He had to stop the sand flow somehow.

An arm of sand emerged from the man and swiped at a one hundred-eighty degree angle across the room. Sylar was able to block it with his mind, but the pillars that were surrounding the room were sliced in half by the powerful assault. The top halves of the pillars collapsed onto the floor. An idea sprung into Sylar's head.

"Heheheh, eventually I'll make you dance around this room. Soon enough it'll be too strong for you to block with your little trick!" shouted the man. He laughed maniacally.

Gesturing with his hand and fingers, Sylar telekinetically lifted up the broken columns and jammed them into the holes at the wall, one-by-one. As the sand flow slowly started to cease, the man's maniac laugh slowed to a halt and transformed into a burst of frustration.

"You little punk…I'll give you credit for thinking of that. But it is too late for you to penetrate through my invulnerable shield. There's nothing you can do to prevent your inevitable death," mocked the man.

Sylar approached him as the man continued his confident laughter.

"Are you sure? Because if I do this…"

Sylar gave his index and middle fingers a quick flick to the side. One of the fallen pillars from the higher ground flew to the center of the room, but not yet at its target. It was suspended in mid air, waiting to strike like a lance. Sylar continued to walk a cool and slow pace towards the raging sandstorm at the center of the room.

"Heheheh… What are you trying to do? Those pillars won't be able to penetrate my shield so easily," shouted the man. Sylar paid no attention to his words.

Sylar gestured another pillar towards the center of the room and yet again, suspended in mid air, but this time on the opposite side of the other pillar.

"…And then, this…" said Sylar in his low tone whisper.

Sylar gestured a pillar directly on top of the man. Three pillars surrounded him.

"Huh?" said the man.

Sylar's slow trek finally led him in close proximity of the violent swirling sands. After a quick smirk, Sylar stuck out his open left hand and then closed it into a tight fist, his fingers and thumb all meeting at the center of his palm. The pillars followed the same exact gesture; the two pillars on each side corresponded to his thumb and pinky; the pillar above to his middle finger. Just like his hand, they all came crashing down towards the center at the same time. The pillars, however, did not penetrate through the sand barrier.

"Hahaha, your little plan isn't working. My sand will grind up those pillars like termites," said the man.

"That may be true, but with three objects trying to impale you, you don't have enough sand to even touch me." Sylar was at the edge of the swirling sand-sphere now. "If you try to attack me now, you'll have to surrender your defense. If you do that, you'll meet an unhappy fate with those pillars that so desperately want to kill you," explained Sylar.

"Then I'll just wait till those pillars are reduced to nothing. What makes you think that buying a little more time will actually save you? It's hopeless, you are only delaying the inevitable," replied the man.

"You're only able to manipulate sand and nothing else; that much I know. I don't know the limits to what types of sand you can control, but I do know that once it's no longer sand, you can't control it," Sylar put both hands up to the moving sands and gave a murderous expression, "which is why I'll be turning it into glass."

As the three pillars began to be grinded down into almost nothing, the man remained distracted from attacking Sylar. Sylar melted the sand into an amorphous state with powerful radiation. With the other hand, he rapidly cooled the shapeless matter before it formed into a crystal lattice.

"NO! This cannot be!" screamed the man in frustration.

With the aid of the sand in motion, all of the sand was converted to tiny glass shards that fell to the floor in seconds. The man was now defenseless and powerless. With no more sand flowing from the orifices of the room, it was almost as if he was a normal, insignificant being.

The man gazed at Sylar speechless.

"This is usually the part when people start screaming," snickered Sylar. His smile became a mean scowl.

Sylar raised his hand into a closed fist, levitating all of the glass shards in front of him. He then opened his hand, sending the glass shards in all directions. As thousands of tiny shards penetrated the man's defenseless body, loud screams of agony were heard. The man fell to the ground, bleeding in every place imaginable.

"Still alive?" asked Sylar. "Well, we can fix that," once again, in that creepy whisper. Sylar motioned the last remaining pillar from the higher floor and lifted it up to the ceiling of the arena, directly above the dying man. He then made a gesture with his hand and the pillar, high above, crashed down onto the poor soul with a velocity of a meteor. The pillar impaled the man's chest, triggering the internal bomb. He exploded into a bloody mess; a mixture of blood, gravel, and smoke emerged from the explosion. After the smoke cleared, all that was left was a dilapidated pillar (still skewered into the floor) and a huge blood splatter around its radius.

The distant "ding" from the elevator ahead was heard. After brushing some of the filth off him, he walked towards the elevator doors. He pressed the button and got in. Sylar took one last glance at the mess he made as the elevator doors closed in front of him. The elevator ascended upwards to the final match. What lay ahead remains to be seen.

The doors opened upon reaching the final floor. Unlike the previous floors, this floor had no special arrangements. It was a very plain room. Two curved walls were present at both sides. Between those two curves was a young girl. As Sylar advanced towards her, he began to realize that this girl surprisingly looked a lot like Sparrow.

Despite his anger towards Sparrow, Sylar could not help but hesitate to attack. He lowered his hand and walked a little closer.

"Is this some sort of joke?" Sylar asked the girl.

"Oh… you're here," said the Sparrow-look-alike. She did not sound like Sparrow. Her voice was more gentle.

The girl walked towards Sylar's direction. As she got closer, Sylar could see that her eyes were closed.

"Don't come any closer!" shouted Sylar. He raised his guard.

To his surprise, the girl halted immediately. This startled Sylar.

"What are you doing?" asked Sylar curiously.

"Well, you see, I can't see. I'm blind. I usually have to listen to people if they tell me to stop. Is there something in front of me?" asked the girl sweetly. Her voice was very gentle. It was innocent, but Sylar refused to drop his guard.

"…No there isn't, just me. Why are you blind? Why do you look so much like his daughter? And why did he send you here to fight me?"

"I'm one of the many clones of his majesty's daughter. It's unfortunate for him that he cannot ever seem to make her right. I have a defect, my blindness. He resents my very being. He resents all of us; so far he hasn't been able to recreate his daughter without a flaw. I was sent to face you because I was a disgrace to both him and his daughter. I believe my life ends here, at your hands."

Sylar was touched and disgusted at the same time. Hohenheim had been trying to clone his daughter for god knows how long. He now knew that the maniac actually loved his daughter, but since he could not have her, he had to clone her- although every attempt had been unsuccessful. And now, his own daughter cannot accept him as her father because of what he's doing now. _That sick bastard._ But he knew what it felt like. Sylar had tried to impress his mother all the same. He could not win her satisfaction, and so he aimed to be special when he was given the opportunity. He killed and killed and the Hohenheim cloned and cloned; both acts considered taboo. But in the end, neither goal was achieved. Hohenheim never got his daughter back nor could he ever if Sparrow found out about the clones designed in her image. Sylar's mother was never impressed and never could be; his hands would forever be stained with her blood. In this way, there were the same. They both lost something and it was because of this evolutionary imperative. It was indeed, a horrible truth that made Sylar extremely uncomfortable.

Sylar stared at the girl with solemn eyes. His personal revelation stunned him.

"…What is your power?" asked Sylar in his whisper. The whisper did not contain any intention of murder; rather it was full of pity for himself and for her.

"I wasn't sure, or at least not until now. I think you just showed me. Not too long ago, this room felt cold and heavy, just like when I'm in the presence of his majesty. It was not comfortable at all. But now… Now it feels different. It's warm, and soothing. I like it. It's the first time I've ever felt this way... I think I can feel the hearts of others. Why is it different now Mr. Sylar? What are you thinking?"

Sylar understood now. Her power was empathy, a power that probably left you feeling cold and lonely most of the time; and the world was to blame. It truly was tragic.

"I can't tell you. I don't even want to tell myself. I know it, but I can't tell anyone." said Sylar.

"I see… it's ok, I think I know …" said the girl. There was a slight pause. "Are you ready to move on Mr. Sylar? I am ready. But it's ok. I'm glad that I was able to encounter you. I am ready to leave this world after feeling this new warmth that resonates from your soul."

Sylar remained speechless. He thought that "warmth" was just a bit of an exaggeration. He may be thinking differently now, but it didn't change who he was. He'd always be a murderer and there was still no desire to repent them. But perhaps it was only because he was afraid to show his soft side. Anyhow, he knew what he had to do if he wanted to move on.

"Ok…" said Sylar as he approached her. He wanted her to feel as little pain as possible. He went behind her and held her in place with his hands.

"This will probably hurt," said the girl.

"Don't worry, I can fix that…"

Sylar leaned her head forward and with a little help from telekinesis, made a swift blow to her neck, severing the spinal cord. She fell back on her back. As he promised, she felt no pain. It was a quick and clean death. He looked at her corpse and found that she still smiled. She had smiled through her death. It was uncanny, but it also provided relief.

As expected, she did not blow up. Hohenheim had not implemented a bomb inside her. He could not ruin the image that was his daughter. After a few seconds, the distant "ding" of the elevator was heard. He walked to the elevator and got in, taking a final glimpse of the innocent girl. He was finally done. He couldn't wait to kill the sick bastard.


	7. When Someone Else Follows the EI

**Part VII: When someone else follows the evolutionary imperative…**

The elevator ride seemed twice as long as the other ones; fortunately, Sylar was not claustrophobic. The elevator finally reached the next floor. The doors opened to reveal a long narrow hallway. He headed out of the elevator and walked to the door at the end. When he reached halfway through, a greenish gas came from the vents from the side of the walls. Sylar held his breath and ran for the door ahead, but it was too far away. It was too difficult to keep running and not breathe; he was forced to inhale. As soon as he did, he began to cough and choke. Then he collapsed onto the floor; his second time blacking out in one day.

Sylar woke up to find himself in the evil geneticist's operation quarters. Unfortunately, he was trapped inside a glass cage. He tried liquefying the glass walls that formed the cage, but it did not work. Something was negating his powers. Sylar waited for the maniac to show up. _He should be here any second._ While Sylar waited, he took notice of his surroundings. He saw lots of computers, test tubes, and all sorts of lights. However, it was not long till he discovered a myriad of tall glass cylinders behind him, all neatly lined up together. Inside those glass cylinders were the "specimens". They were naked and unconscious, held in place by some kind of fluid- most likely water, and nurtured by a long tube that went into their mouths. _Sick…_

"So what do you think?"

Sylar turned back around and saw that Hohenheim had finally arrived.

"It's inhumane…" stated Sylar.

"And you don't think killing people for their powers isn't?" said Hohenheim.

The man walked around Sylar's cage and gave him some very weird looks.

"I know it's wrong. But I couldn't control this hunger." said Sylar.

"And I couldn't stop breeding them! See? We're not so different."

Hohenheim walked around the cage until he was on the side with the glass cylinders.

"Like you, I follow the evolutionary imperative. It calls our names. Unlike you, I am unable to take their powers for myself. So instead, I evolve an entire species by means of reproductive isolation and artificial selection. With this method and my V-R training program that you helped me finalize, I will create the most powerful beings the world will ever see," said the Hohenheim.

Sylar remained silent and just glared at the man. Eventually he had to ask.

"How do you know so much about me?"

"Heheheh, I know so much about you thanks to my little friends. It's amazing how many places a cockroach can wander to. I can see what they can see, hear what they can hear. I am able to control them at my will. This power has granted me the ability to hunt and track down those who possess powers. It was easy kidnapping them. It wasn't hard to keep track of you either. When I knew what you were doing, I marveled at you. How overwhelming it was to see that someone else had engaged the evolutionary imperative."

"Your ability fits you perfectly," commented Sylar, "in that its ugliness reflects who you are inside."

"Hahaha, still uttering the same nonsense? I truly wish you could be kept as my personal jester."

Hohenheim walked around the cage.

"I'm sure that you enjoyed your last fight. A failed experiment. That is why I sent her to her death. But don't worry. I have many left. Eventually I'll make her flawless."

"Well you did her a favor. It was better off for her to end her life there then have her stay with you any longer," said Sylar.

"Indeed…but I had listened to your encounter with her. She made you weaker. A shame really, since you're way ahead of everyone else. But here, allow me to help you get back on the right track by eliminating your weak soft side forever."

Hohenheim snapped his fingers. From a dark hallway emerged a young boy. As he approached Hohenheim's side, Sylar knew exactly who he was.

"This is your son Mr. Gray, but judging from the look on your face, I guess you already figured." Hohenheim patted the boy's head. "He's a beautiful boy isn't he? He sure listens well."

Sylar stared at his illegitimate child. It was too much to handle. It was wrong in an indescribable way.

"I swear to god, if it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure you die for this. You sick piece of shit…I'll kill you. I'll kill you!" shouted Sylar as he banged on the glass walls of his cage.

"Oh my, it seems that daddy dearest needs a hug," mocked the maniac. Hohenheim reverted his attention back to Sylar who now had both hands against the glass wall with a furious expression on his face.

"Your boy here has a fantastic power. I never would have guessed it could have been so deadly. The power to control water… It's as good as it gets."

Hohenheim gave the boy a nudge forward. The boy approached Sylar. Father and son now stood face to face with each other.

"One of you will die here," said Hohenheim. "If you cannot kill your son with your bare hands, Mr. Gray, I'm afraid you'll die a very painful death. But... if you succeed, you'll have rid your weak side forever and can join me in remaking this world!" There was a brief pause. Hohenheim walked over to a computer. "Let's find out what happens…now."

Hohenheim pressed a button on the computer. One of the walls on Sylar's cage lowered into the ground. He was face to face with his son now, but he wouldn't- _couldn't _kill his own son. Sylar stood still, ready to accept the fate that was handed to him.

"Kill him," said Hohenheim. Sylar and the boy continued to look at each other. "I said kill him!" repeated Hohenheim.

The boy continued to ignore his master's command.

"What? You dare defy me? I created you! You will obey me!"

The maniac approached the boy furiously, but then he stopped dead in his tracks and agonized in pain.

"Arrrgggghh! What are you doing?!" shouted Hohenheim in shrieks of torment.

Water could be seen slowly escaping from the man's pores. The boy was using his power to remove water from the human body. Within seconds, Hohenheim's body turned into a wilted, dehydrated corpse that collapsed into a puddle of water on the floor. The boy then turned back to Sylar.


	8. Sacrifice

**Part VII: Sacrifice**

Sylar got out of his cage immediately. What this boy could do was frightening. Before Sylar made his next move, the boy spoke.

"Father…" uttered the boy.

Sylar stopped and looked at his son. The boy suddenly ran up to Sylar and gave him a hug. This took Sylar by surprise.

"…"

"Father, it's really you! You're finally here!"

Sylar was confused, but went along and embraced the boy's head to his stomach. Sylar was too tall to return the hug appropriately.

"I don't understand…" said Sylar.

"He wasn't my real father. He treated me like a tool. I didn't like it. When he told me that my real father was coming soon, I was excited. I saw your fights; I saw what you could do! You're amazing."

Sylar was happy to hear this. His son was praising his father. Maybe they could live together after all… But Sylar's hopes were shattered when he heard his son's next words.

"Let's take over the world together. Me and you. We're so powerful. The world belongs to us!" said the boy in excitement.

This broke Sylar's heart. It was too late; Hohenheim's influence had already taken over the mindset of this young boy. He had already acquired the lust for power. He didn't even feel any remorse for killing the maniac. At such a young age, who knew what kind of monster this boy would turn into. He was too dangerous. Sylar had been prepared for this moment originally. He knew that this child was his responsibility. He had to do what had to be done.

Sylar took one of his hands and patted the boy on the head.

"I never ever thought I'd be a father," said Sylar, "I never knew it would happen."

"But you are now, and I'm your son. We're going to be together forever. I can't wait to see the rest of the world. Aren't you as excited just as I am?"

"Well... I definitely know things will be different for both of us now," said Sylar.

"You're right. It'll be so much better now. Just me and you on top of the world," said the boy.

The child continued his firm embrace on his father while babbling about their future. Sylar nodded his head in approval and said "yes" to whatever his boy was saying. He had to keep the child distracted as he quietly levitated a metal pole with his mind. It slowly came to them from the distance. When it was in close proximity, Sylar positioned the end of the pole diagonally, aiming directly for the boy's skull. The child was completely oblivious to the object floating in mid air behind him.

"So what do you say dad?" asked the child.

"I say… that the world doesn't need people like us."

"Huh?" asked the child in worry.

"I'm sorry, but it can't happen. I can't allow it to. That's not the way the world works."

"So you don't want to be with me?" asked the child.

"I wish you could understand that there is more to this world than just trying to be the strongest."

"…you don't love me then?" the child started to cry.

"I do, but, this wasn't the way it was supposed to happen…You weren't supposed to be like this. I'm sorry…" Sylar held his son closer to him. "This'll hurt me a lot more than it'll hurt you."

Upon those words, Sylar launched the metal pole directly into his son's head. The difference between their heights made the pole go through the child's skull but only through Sylar's torso. The child died instantly while Sylar had to suffer the penetrating pain of the pole piercing his abdomen.

"…So this is it… it's finally over. In the end…" said Sylar as he choked on his own blood. His last words uttered before death claimed him.


	9. Say Goodbye to Yesterday

**Part VIII: Say goodbye to yesterday**

Sylar regained consciousness, but barely. He noticed that the pole was no longer in him, it had been removed. He was alive again. Next to him, he saw none other than Sparrow, once again treating his wounds. Her face was red and her cheek was filled with tears. In the corner he could just barely make out the form of his dead son along with the bloody pole that remained skewered into his skull.

Sylar got up and coughed out blood. Sparrow was startled, but she was frantically relieved.

"…You're alive!" exclaimed Sparrow. "I thought I lost you. I thought my powers wouldn't work. I thought my reason wasn't strong enough and…and…I'm so sorry!"

Sparrow just dropped herself on Sylar and gave him a big hug, but it just made him cough out more blood.

"Shit sorry…" said Sparrow.

"That's the first time I've heard you swear," commented Sylar, "don't do it, it's bad. But, you're here. You came back for me."

"Yes, I did; I had to. I couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't…Well let's get out of here, the Haitian's waiting outside. This place is going to blow up."

"…Wait, he let you come in here alone? Looking for me? Even after what I said to you?"

"I told him that if I did die, I deserved it. If I don't show up in half an hour, I told him to blow up the place and just leave."

"How long has it been?" asked Sylar.

"Fifteen minutes." answered Sparrow.

"We have to leave, and we have to leave fast. We'll talk about everything after." said Sylar "Ugh… it's still pretty bad, I can barely sit myself up."

"I'll help you." said Sparrow.

Sylar put his arm on her shoulder to stop her.

"I...I do need your help this time." said Sylar as he gave her a little smile, his first friendly smile directed to her.

She smiled back and attempted to lift him up under her to support him. They limped towards the _other_ elevator across the room, leaving their ill-fated relatives behind.

The elevator ride was lengthy as usual. They talked as they waited for the lower floor.

"I'm really sorry I made you go through this," said Sparrow, "I'm not much better than my father."

"You know your father actually loved you right?" said Sylar.

"He did?"

"Yeah, he did. I wish mine could, but he never really did..." said Sylar.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But I saw… I could have sworn I saw clones of me!" said Sparrow.

"…So I guess you did see them after all. I had hoped you'd never had to discover them. It's a sick thing. But he knew he could never get you back, that is why he made clones of you. He was never successful though, they all contained a flaw. In fact, I was tested against three of his specimens. I admit, they were pretty good, but I was able to outsmart them. The last fight, I had to fight… you. Well it wasn't you, but it looked like you. She was the only one who didn't try to kill me. She was blind too, and she made me realize something."

"Heheh, did you have a hard time killing her or did you plow right through her no problem?" joked Sparrow.

"Actually, she was the only one I didn't want to kill. I hesitated at first when I saw her. It was even worse after I learned more about her. In the end, I had to kill her in order to move on."

"I see…" said Sparrow. She was flattered that Sylar had hesitated to attack her clone. It made her feel a little more comfortable.

"Well I take it you saw your father as well right?" said Sylar.

"Yes, I saw what remained of him. What happened to him?" asked Sparrow.

"He was killed by my son."

"How? The death looked rather gruesome…"

"He had the ability to manipulate water. He killed your father by dehydration through the pores. You may have seen the puddle of water under him."

"I see. If you don't mind me asking, what happened with you and your son? I know you told me you had to kill him. I don't see why though. And to kill him like that…"

"Originally, I had thought that my son would not know me, would even try to kill me. I figured your father would have made him into some ultimate weapon, one who knew nothing but murder. When I encountered him myself, I was rather surprised by the affection he showed me; after turning against your father anyways. I remained hopeful after, but I knew it was too good to be true. He talked about ruling the world. It was too late, your father's influence had already corrupted his young mind. And with his ability, he would become very dangerous. Who knew what kind of monster he'd grow up to be? He'd be worse than me, that's for sure."

"I'm really sorry my father did this to you; sorry that I did this to you…"

"It's ok… It made me realize some very important things. This whole thing you put me through finally made me realize that the evolutionary imperative is nothing but an excuse to deny your weakness. In the end, you'll never be satisfied. It becomes an addiction and you can't stop. The more you prove yourself, the more you acknowledge the fact that you didn't have what other's had. You are no longer human when you set your mindset to this. It's a horrible fate…" Sylar stopped himself.

"Ahem, perhaps I am talking a little too much. To answer your question, I simply killed him when he showed me affection. He was distracted with all his ideas for our future. While he talked, I quietly prepared to strike him with that metal pole you found lodged through both of us. Before he died, I told him that the world did not need people like us. And then, I did it, I killed him, killing myself in the process. I felt that it would have done me a bit of justice, but you came back for me and saved me again."

"…You've changed… you've evolved," noted Sparrow.

Sylar gave her a nod.

"Why are you so alone?" asked Sparrow. She had wanted to ask him for a long time.

"I've never wanted to be alone. It's just that when you're alone, you don't have to be afraid of rejection." said Sylar. "You try to be significant, but no body cares or acknowledges it. You finally achieve it, but you never win their approval. If you're alone, you don't have to prove anything to anyone except yourself."

The elevator stopped. They were finally on ground floor. The doors opened up to the lobby. Ahead, they could see the exit. It was daylight out. The whole escapade had lasted for over a day. Sylar and Sparrow limped outside into the warm atmosphere of the tropical island. Outside the Haitian was waiting for them in a helicopter. The Haitian and Sparrow helped Sylar get into the back of the helicopter where there was room to lie down. Sparrow herself requested to sit with Sylar; she had more things to talk to him about. The Haitian understood and went back to the pilot seat and lifted the helicopter off the ground.

When they were high above the ground, the Haitian fired the helicopter's missile into the tower. It exploded into an awesome pillar of flame and imploded on its own unstable structure. It became nothing more than large pile of debris.

"What was that sound?" asked Sylar.

"That was the sound of us saying goodbye to yesterday," replied Sparrow.

The helicopter turned and sped away towards the sun, leaving the wicked island behind forever.


	10. Epilogue

**Part IX: Epilogue**

"So what do you plan to do now?" asked Sparrow. They were back in the sewers of New York City again.

"I've been thinking about it lately. I think I'll try to find out my father's whereabouts. It's about time I finally confronted this problem."

"Your father is still alive?"

"I dunno, maybe. He left my mom and me sometime ago. He could be dead now, but I want to make sure."

"Great! Let's find him together!" exclaimed Sparrow.

"No, you've experienced too many complications with humanity. You're still young; you shouldn't trouble yourself with my own affairs."

"Then how are you going to find him? You can't do it alone!" said Sparrow.

"No, I'll definitely ask for help. There is perhaps somebody left that I could talk to. And I know that he could help me."

"You'll be staying with someone then? But you said-"

"Yes, I told you why it was good to be alone. But, this is a chance that I'm willing to take," said Sylar as he gave a comfortable smile.

"I see… then, this is good bye?" asked Sparrow, a hint of sadness from her voice.

"I guess so… but you never know. We may meet again."

Sylar walked to the ladder that led to a manhole above. He put one hand on the first rung and turned back to face Sparrow.

"I never said thank you for saving me… Thank you." said Sylar, and then he started to climb the ladder.

"Wait!" said Sparrow.

Sylar stopped.

"Take this."

Sparrow rolled up her sleeve to reveal a golden bracelet. It was very plain with the exception of a peculiar symbol that dangled from it. The symbol was shaped like an out-stretched "S" with three parallel lines going through it. She took it off and handed it to Sylar.

"My mother gave this to me before she died. Please, take it. I want you to have it," said Sparrow.

Sylar took it and put it on his left wrist.

"Don't forget me!" shouted Sparrow.

Sylar gave her a nod and continued up the ladder. He opened the lid pulled himself out of the manhole. He was back on the streets of New York. He slid the lid over the hole. From Sparrow's point of view, it resembled an eclipse as she looked up to see her hero leave her…

_Knock! Knock! Knock! _Mohinder heard a knocking on his door.

"Coming!" he said.

Mohinder answered the door to find a tall figure standing in front of him. It was Sylar.

"It… can't be…" said Mohinder in disbelief. Mohinder slowly backed away. "Molly! Run! Call the police!" he shouted and tried to slam the door shut on Sylar.

"No wait!" said Sylar in a desperate plea and forced the door open. It sounded like Zane Taylor all over again.

"I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone right now. Please, just let me come in."

"And why should I trust you?" said Mohinder, "You tried to wipe out this city!"

"That was before, please let me explain. There's a lot I have to tell you," said Sylar.

Mohinder knew he had no choice. He was powerless to a man who defied the laws of physics. He reluctantly let Sylar in and told Molly to call the cops back to tell them that the issue had been resolved.

Sylar made himself at home and sat in a chair. Mohinder made some tea and sat down the chair opposite Sylar. He set down a cup of tea for Sylar and another cup for himself. Molly watched the two men from a distance.

"How are you alive? You died. I saw you on the ground," questioned Mohinder.

"It's an incredible story. It's true. I did die. But a girl by the name of Sparrow Redhouse brought me back to life."

"I can't imagine anyone crazy enough to do that… wait you didn't kill her and take her power did you?" asked Mohinder.

"No I did not. I would have, but she was ready for me. She tamed me well. I'll tell you all about it soon enough."

Sylar took the cup of tea into his hand and lifted it. Mohinder's eyes followed it steadily.

"Is this drugged?" asked Sylar curiously.

Mohinder didn't say a word.

Sylar gave a hearty laugh. "I see you still don't trust me. I don't blame you. But if I drink this will you trust me then?" challenged Sylar.

Before Mohinder could utter a word, Sylar chugged the tea in one gulp and set the cup down. Within a few seconds, Sylar fell over on the table and was fast asleep.

"Are you going to kill the boogeyman now?" asked Molly enthusiastically.

"No, he knew that that chai was drugged, but he drank it anyway. I have a lot of questions for him myself. For now we can trust him. I'll hook him up to some curare if you're still afraid Molly."

Mohinder removed Sylar's trenchcoat and handed it to Molly.

"Can you put this on that rack over there Molly?"

"Sure no problem," said Molly innocently.

Mohinder dragged Sylar to the bedroom and heaved his body onto the bed. He then went and prepared the curare and inserted the needle into Sylar's wrist. Mohinder took notice of the funky yet familiar bracelet on his wrist. Molly entered the room.

"There, he won't be able to do anything. You can relax Molly," said Mohinder.

Molly took a good look at her parents' murderer.

"The boogeyman…" said Molly. "He looked a lot scarier before when he killed my parents."

"Yup, he's also the one who killed my father, but he's put his fate into our hands. He trusts us. It's not like him to do something like this. Something must be up."

Mohinder left Sylar alone in the room and refilled the curare once in awhile. Sylar finally woke up in the evening. Mohinder was by his side. As expected, Sylar saw that he once again, lost control of his powers. He saw the needle on his left hand.

"So you've finally woken up… anyways you're now with us. I won't let you use your powers here," said Mohinder.

"It's fine," said Sylar.

Mohinder was a bit shocked at his response. Very unlike Sylar.

"…What's your name?" asked Mohinder.

Molly was on the opposite side of the bed, listening in into the conversation.

"Sylar," said Sylar sarcastically.

"No your real name. I'd like to know the name of my father's murderer."

"Yeah and I'd like to know who killed my parents," said Molly. Molly clasped her hands on her mouth and hid under the bed. She was still afraid of him. But she slowly came out and peeked at Sylar from the corner of the bed.

"My name is unimportant, just like my life before I met your father… But you can call me Gabe." Sylar flinched as he revealed his true name.

"…Gabe? As in Gabriel? That's your real name?"

"Maybe…you'll just have to find out won't you?" smirked Sylar.


End file.
